


The Royal Romance

by WilliahMagala



Category: Eurovision Song Contest RPF, Festival di Sanremo RPF
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff, M/M, Romance, royal au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-02
Updated: 2019-12-07
Packaged: 2020-02-16 02:22:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18682183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WilliahMagala/pseuds/WilliahMagala
Summary: Ermal, Crown Prince of Italy, lived a monotonous, dull life until new guards arrived at the castle and among them was Fabrizio Mobrici.





	1. The arrival

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! The Discord already know the story and they liked it so I wrote it properly and I hope you will like it!

            Ermal held back a yawn as he walked down the magnificent halls of the Castel Sant’Angelo to the second throne room. He was a prince and not any prince, he was the Crown Prince and the future king of Italy, he couldn’t yawn in public. It would be very improper. He checked his watch and walked slightly faster. He stayed reading his book for too long, he was going to be late. Julie Andrews may have said that queens were never late, but this prince was, or at least would be if he didn’t hurry.

Being the Heir of the Kingdom of Italy, Ermal had a few duties to attend to. One of them was to greet the new royal guards to the castle. He didn’t like to do this, it was dull. There was a whole little ceremony where the guards would walk in to the sound of trumpets, line up and salute Ermal who would be sitting in a throne. How extra. They were in 2019, not in the 13th century anymore, why did they need to do this old-timey tradition? But Ermal was a Prince and princes didn’t get to do what they wanted to do. So Ermal sat on the throne and displayed the least bored face he could at this moment. He nodded to one of the butlers and the four trumpetists. And then it began. The fifteen new guards entered the room, marching in rhythm, placed themselves in a line and saluted. Repressing a sigh Ermal got up. He paused for a moment, to mentally rehearse what he should say and also to appear more dramatic. If this whole ceremony was going to be extra then so would he. He barely looked at the guards, he simply stared at a point on the wall right above their heads and it did the trick. He began to recite his usual speech. He never bothered to change it, why would he? All the guards were the same to him.

 

“Welcome to the Castel Sant'Angelo. You all have been chosen for your great abilities to protect the royal family. From now on our safety is in your hands and I count on you to make me and the rest of my family feel secure.”

 

            He found those few lines to be perfect. Short, sober and reusable to everyone. He then sat again and waited for the most uninteresting part of the ceremony: the presentation. Each guard would walk to the throne, bow deep, present himself, vow to protect the Royal family, salute and leave. As if Ermal cared to know their names. He knew that their job was to protect him and his family, and he was very grateful, but he was bored and knowing the names of each guard wouldn’t make him safer. The first guard walked to him and bowed Maria Luca she was quite small for a guard, short brown hair. The second one was very tall in contrast, Ermal didn’t get his name, a ginger man who looked very nervous. They continued to pass, one after the other, and even if they were all different they all had this same seriousness in the eyes. Suddenly, he began to pay more attention to the guards in front of him. To one in particular. A man, a bit shorter than the other male guards, but what caught Ermal’s attention was his hair. They were messy and sticking in different directions. It upset Ermal, this guard was getting presented to his prince and future king and he couldn’t even bother to comb his hair? Who did he think he was? And were those tattoos on his hands? Oh, even better. The man in question walked in front of Ermal and, no matter how cliché this was, a ray of sunshine fell on his face, lighting his eyes. Beautiful, warm, deep maroon eyes. Ermal was now even more intrigued by him. So intrigued that he barely heard him present himself.

 

            “Your Highness, my name is Fabrizio Mobrici and I vow to protect you and your family with my life.”

 

            The prince blinked a few times before finally understand what the guard said. His voice was deep, a bit rough too. Very pleasing to hear. What was he thinking? He managed to appear composed and nodded as he did for the other guards, but he couldn’t help and followed him with his eyes. So, his name was Mobrici. Ermal wasn’t sure what he would do with this information, but one thing was for sure there was something fascinating in him. He couldn’t help but stare at him and mentally scold himself more than once during the remaining thirty minutes of the ceremony. He could not stare at a guard like a teenager with his first crush.  However, he felt a bit of disappointment when the ceremony was over, and the guards left to go to the guards’ room. It was ridiculous, he never liked this ceremony and always wished that it lasted shorter. Why was it changing now? He left the room deep in thoughts.

 

           Once his duty was over, Ermal went to see his father to debrief what happened during the ceremony. Another stupid thing if you asked him. What was there to debrief? There were new guards, nothing special. Well, maybe this time there was something special, but it didn’t matter. His father certainly did not need to know he found one of the new guards attractive. He entered the throne room and bowed to his King. The man sitting on the throne was not Ermal’s father, he was by blood but to Ermal he was only his king. He always has felt very intimidated by his father when he was sitting there, tall, majestic and impressive; ever since he was a child. King Giuseppe III was an impressive man who never seemed to smile, how cliché. Even if he did smile, in the privacy of their family, he wasn’t a warm person.

 

          “Father, I met the new guards, they all seem ready to protect us.”

 

         Neither he nor the king cared about this, they already knew that the guards were ready to protect them, that was why they have been chosen. But traditions, rules, protocol, whatever name you chose to give it, demanded that Ermal warned his father that the people they engaged were ready to do the job they were being paid for. King Giuseppe barely looked at him, answered that it was good and dismissed Ermal with a lazy hand gesture. Lovely. Ermal bowed deeply again and left the throne room. He was going to take tea with his mother today, but he was not in a hurry this time. While walking in a hallway he noticed that the guards who introduced themselves half an hour ago were now outside visiting the castle. He couldn’t resist and walked slower to try and spot Mobrici. He easily saw him and his messy hair, Mobrici was looking around in awe. It was true that the castle was beautiful, even if it was more a fortress than a palace, he often forgot of the castle’s beauty since he stayed there most of the year. Without realizing it he stopped and kept looking at the guard. He was really attractive. It’s only when Mobrici looked up and seemed to notice him that Ermal’s bubble popped. How long had he been staring at Mobrici? Oh, how embarrassing. He looked around and was relieved to see no guards in the room. A quick glance at his phone warned him that he must get going if he wanted to be on time for the tea. However, the guard was still in the back of his head.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ermal acts like a teen and Andrea is a tease.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I'm back with a second chapter, I hope you will like it as much as I liked writing it.

It was ridiculous, he was ridiculous. Ermal was sitting on a bench in the courtyard of the castle, reading a book. Well, to be honest, he wasn’t really focused on the book but rather at the guards. At one guard in particular. He was going to the library when he saw that Mobrici was guarding the courtyard and before he knew it he was outside with his book. God, what was happening to him? He was a 30 years old prince, not a teenager with a crush.  And yet here he was, staring at Mobrici over his book, he was probably not even subtle. But he couldn’t help it, the guard was really attractive and stood out with his messy hair and tattoos. He both loved it and was annoyed by it. He was a royal guard; couldn’t he at least comb his hair? Suddenly Mobrici turned his head to him and Ermal quickly hid behind his book. Did he see him? Probably. After a few minutes he shot a quick glance to Mobrici, he wasn’t looking in his direction anymore, perfect, he could go back to his staring.

 

He kept doing it more and more lately. Whenever he knew that Mobrici was somewhere in the castle he found excuses to go there, just to see him. Those excuses were very bad and even he was convinced by them. Some days he would be visiting his family, sometimes, like today, he would go read outside because the weather was beautiful, or he would just wander in the castle. It wasn’t like he had anything else to do anyway. His father gave him little responsibilities in the government, therefore the only times he left the castle were to go to the Council meetings, to go to inaugurations or to visit hospitals. He liked those visits, he liked meeting his people. However, it didn’t happen enough to his liking. The rest of the time he stayed in the castle reading. He spent a lot of his time reading. Ermal developed a love for books when he was young and read nearly all the books the royal library had to offer, from classic novels to encyclopedias. He didn’t have anything else to occupy himself. The royal family followed a very strict and antic etiquette. The list of rules was ridiculously long, and very little changes have been made since the 13th century. Social media were forbidden so he couldn’t even entertain himself with Instagram or Twitter. However, after long months of negotiations, his sibling and he managed to convince their father to let them use Netflix and YouTube.  His days were filled with reading and videos, very monotonous life in short. So, this very attractive guard was the only thing entertaining him, as absurd as it was.

 

Speaking of entertainment, a butler came in the courtyard running. What an improper way to behave, seriously. A few guards shot him a curious glance before going back to their work. The Butler, Bruno if Ermal remembered well, bowed to him. He was out of breath; it must be quite important.

 

“You…Your Highness, the Duke of Milan is here to visit you.”

 

Ermal wanted to slap his forehead, of course, how could he forget? Oh, he knew how, he was too taken into the observation of Mobrici to remember that Andrea Vigentini, Duke of Milan, was supposed to come to the castle for a Brooklyn 99 marathon today. Ermal followed Bruno to the main hall where his friend was waiting for him, not showing how he was in a hurry. Princes were not supposed to be late, especially not when they had to meet a duke. Even if it was not an official visit and he knew said duke since he was 8. Andrea was a few younger than him and yet was already duke due to his late father’s death while Ermal was still waiting to be king. When they arrived in the main hall Andrea bowed quickly to him, not as deep or as long as he should. Andrea never bothered following the etiquette with the royal siblings, arguing that he knew them since he was a boy, most of the time he even forgot to call Ermal “Your Highness”. The two friends walked to Ermal’s apartments when suddenly Ermal stopped to look by the window. The change of guards. Mobrici was leaving and going back home. Feeling stupid, he moved closer to the window to watch it. Andrea joined him, confused.

 

“What is wrong, Ermal?”

 

“The change of guards.”

 

Andrea raised an eyebrow and looked with him, still confused. After a few seconds, he spoke again.

 

“Yes, it’s the change of guards, and? You never seemed to show any interest in it. Why suddenly you are stopping to look at it?”

 

Ermal didn’t know what to answer. Andrea was right, he never had any interest in the change of guards, except for when he was a child impressed by everything. He didn’t know how to explain to his friend that he simply wanted to see the attractive new guard one last time today. Surely Andrea would tease him forever and probably tell his siblings so they would join forces to tease him about his interest in Mobrici, and that he could not allow. So, he answered nothing, kept watching the change of guards in silence. This thing was absurdly long and while it was great for tourists in front of the castle, in the courtyard it couldn’t be more pointless. But its length became an advantage recently because it meant that Mobrici would stay longer. After a moment of silence, watching the men and women outside, Andrea chuckled. Ermal turned his head slightly, silently asking him what was so funny. The Duke pointed at a guard with his chin. It was Mobrici.

 

“Look at this one, did he forget his brush this morning?”

 

Little did Andrea know that Ermal’s eyes haven’t left Mobrici this whole time. The realization made his cheeks heat slightly. He really had been looking at the guard for the past three minutes. In fact, he has been for a part of the afternoon. Oh, what had he become? When he didn’t answer again Andrea looked at him and Ermal kept looking straight in front of him. However, from the corner of his eyes, he could see Andrea’s smile grow and he didn’t like it at all.

 

“He is handsome.”

 

“The change of guards is over now, let’s go.”

It wasn’t over. There were still a few minutes left but Ermal walked away from the window, followed by a laughing Andrea. His friend reached him and made a few comments about attractive guards. Ermal was getting redder and redder. It was so embarrassing for him. The last time he acted for that he was a teenager, now he was a grown adult, he shouldn’t act like this. Once they were in his apartments Andrea began to want to know more about Mobrici. Why couldn’t he leave him alone?

 

“What is his name? Since when is he here? He must be really handsome to get you like this.”

 

Ermal wanted to groan, his face was red. This was hell. He really had to face his…interest in Mobrici. But he knew Andrea wouldn’t judge him for being attracted to a man, he was teasing him like if it was a woman. It was relieving to know. But what wasn’t relieving was that his best friend acted like a teenager, but so was he.

 

“His name is Fabrizio Mobrici, he’s been here for two weeks now and yes he is very handsome. Now can we watch Brooklyn 99, please? I want to see how the relationship between Jake and Amy will develop.”

 

He immediately knew it was a mistake because Andrea replied that he wanted to see how the relationship between him and Mobrici would develop. Ermal wasn’t proud of it but he threw a pillow at Andrea, thank god no servants were there to witness it. Andrea didn’t stop laughing and teasing him until he left. They still had a great time watching the series and Ermal was sad to see Andrea leave so early, even if it was evening already. His friend assured him that he would be back very soon, to have a better and proper look to Mobrici. Ermal simply rolled his eyes and wished him to come back home safely. But instead of leaving Andrea seemed to hesitate before hugging him tightly, another breach to the etiquette. After a second of confusion, Ermal hugged him back.  Andrea muttered in his ear.

 

“It’s okay to be attracted by a man, don’t stress about it. There is nothing wrong with you. I’m here if you want to talk.”

 

Ermal nodded, he knew that it was okay but to hear it from a friend felt different. He grew up very Catholic so to have an interest in a man made him feel bad at first. But Andrea was right, there was nothing wrong with it. Andrea brushed his back, holding him tighter.

 

“Thank you.”

 

They hugged for a long time before having to pull away, the servants were looking at them weirdly. Ermal stayed on the porch to wave at Andrea leaving in a car with a smile. That night in his bed he kept thinking about Andrea’s words. There was nothing wrong with him.  And he couldn’t wait for tomorrow to be here so he would see Mobrici again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading it, please tell me what you thought about it!


	3. The bodyguard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When an accident happens in the Royal family the decision is taken to give every member of the family a bodyguard o follow them everywhere.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone, I am finally uploading this fic! I'm so excited, I really love this story and I hope you do too

Ermal had tried to get over his attraction for Mobrici but he failed. Andrea may have been right, there was nothing wrong with liking men, it didn’t change the fact that Ermal was a prince, the heir to the crown, nonetheless. He couldn’t have a childish crush on a guard, even more if said guard was a man. He had to marry a nice and respectable woman, have nice and respectable children with her and give the kingdom an heir, a boy. It wasn’t that terrible, he was also attracted to women and surely in the whole kingdom or even the whole world, there must be at least one woman he would be happy to spend the rest of his life with.

 

But the problem was that he currently didn’t want any woman. He wanted a guard with warm brown eyes and messy hair. And even more problematic the guard in question did nothing at all to help prevent his attraction towards him. Even worse, he unknowingly encouraged it. To be fair it was just Ermal’s mind having strange ideas and imagining things, but it didn’t change the fact that Ermal’s small crush was slowly growing due to small things.

 

One day Ermal was coming back from the library, his arms full of books. New books have been delivered that day and he just couldn’t resist. Therefore here he had been, a pile of books barely standing straight in his arms. The inevitable happened and the pile crashed as he was passing in a hallway. Ermal mumbled angrily as he began to put the books back into a pile, checking if they have been damaged. Forgetting the rules, Mobrici left his spot in the hallway to help him.

 

Ermal stopped picking up the books surprised. He hadn’t even seen that Mobrici was there, his view blocked by the books. He looked at him with wide eyes as the guard was grabbing books. It wasn’t Mobrici’s role. He was supposed to guard the hallway, not pick up books a clumsy prince dropped. Even more surprising Mobrici was making two piles. He kept his head low, careful to not meet the Prince’s eyes.

 

“If you would allow me, your Highness, I’ll help you bring those books wherever you want.”

 

He wondered if that truly happened for a moment but the looks of surprise the other guards were exchanging proved him that it was true. Mobrici talked to him and suggested to help him. It was the second time he spoke to him directly and Ermal had to say that his voice was beautiful. It was deep, rough and a thick Roman accent could be heard. He would love to hear him talk more but every time he saw him Mobrici was on duty and therefore not speaking.

 

He cleared his throat, realizing that he was supposed to answer. The poor Mobrici was growing nervous.

 

“Yes, good idea, it will prevent any other accidents like this one. I was walking back to my apartments, follow me.”

 

They took a pile each and left the hallway under the astonished looks of the guards. Ermal could understand them, the scene was rather unusual. He looked behind him to check of Mobrici was following him. He was, walking three steps behind him like he was supposed to. Ermal had to refrain from looking over his shoulder again, it would be suspicious.

 

Far too soon they arrived at Ermal’s apartments’ doors. Mobrici carefully put his pile on top of Ermal’s and, as if life was a romantic comedy, his fingers brushed the prince’s. Immediately the guard moved away like if he burnt himself, his eyes wide. It was forbidden to touch the monarchs under a certain level of importance or of the situation didn’t call for it. Mobrici certainly didn’t reach the level required nor did the situation called for a touch. And yet Ermal didn’t mind, especially not when Mobrici looked flustered and muttered an apology before knocking at the door so someone would open it for the prince. He saluted and Ermal just had the time to bow his head to him as a thank you that Mobrici had already left, hurrying out of the hallway.

 

When Rinald asked him why he looked so happy that day during teatime he simply answered that it was because of books and his brother didn’t try to know more.

 

* * *

 

 

Life continued as usual after that, the only addition was that now whenever he saw Mobrici he could see, or at least thought that he could see, a faint smile on the guard’s face. It was probably not true and just a mere product of his imagination but he liked to think that.

 

Until one day an accident happened that shook the Royal family. Sabina, the youngest of the children, was attacked as she inaugurated a new room in the Museo di Roma. A man jumped in front of her with a knife. Thankfully a guard stopped him, but the blade touched her belly, not harming her.

 

This act put their father in a rage. He always has had a soft spot for his only daughter so for someone to attack her, it made him mad. Even more worrying, it wasn’t the first time people tried to attack the Royal family. Ermal’s grandfather, the King Father, has been attacked twice during his reign, Ermal’s mother car exploded at a moment she should have been in it while she was pregnant of Rinald and even Ermal nearly got kidnapped when he was 2. He still had a very faint memory of it.

 

All the people who committed those acts have been acting for themselves or for the anarchist party and have been arrested, they have been condemned by most of the population who still liked their monarchs. Those repeated attacks against the monarchy pushed the King to take an important decision. After two televisions interventions during which he repeated his shock towards those violent acts and assured that the monarchy was still fine, he chose to give every member of the family a bodyguard who would follow them everywhere. At first, Ermal and his grandmother have been against it, neither of them being fond of the idea of someone invading their privacy. But they accepted it after some time, Ermal because he was the Heir and his grandmother agreed to it to reassure her worried husband.

 

Now they had to find bodyguards for each member of the family, which wouldn’t be that easy. It had been decided that Montanari, the Chief of the Guards, would make a list of potential guards for each one of them and they would have to choose between them. Internally Ermal hoped that Mobrici was on his list. Of course, he wasn’t going to choose his bodyguard solely because he was attractive, but it would be nice.

 

A few days later Ermal was called to the guards' room, it was time for him to choose his bodyguard. He was a bit nervous; it was an important decision after all, and he had no idea who would be on his list. When he entered the room, he saw 7 guards in line and Montanari next to them. All saluted as soon as he stepped in. The first thing that he noticed was that Mobrici was there. He was on the list. Ermal’s stomach fluttered when he saw him. He had to remind himself that it was a serious matter and he shouldn’t choose him just because of his crush. Montanari came to him and bowed.

 

“Your Highness, here are the seven guards who have been chosen for you.”

 

“Perfect, present them to me.”

 

He followed Montanari to the first guard, a redhead woman with eyes of steel. The Chief of guards presented her as Olivia De Luca and gave him a file about her. She had great stats and would be a great bodyguard for sure. The second one Ermal told himself that he wouldn’t choose him. He was a tall and muscular man, he reminded him of the Mountain in Game of Thrones. Ermal remembered seeing him in the castle and every time just looking at him would make him shiver. There was no way he would ever feel safe around him. He politely took a look at his file and carried on.

 

Eventually, they arrived in front of Mobrici. Ermal repressed a smile. He looked as handsome as ever and even more up close like this. It seemed like he tried to comb his hair but gave up midway. Ermal shook his head to get the idea of passing his fingers through them away, he shouldn’t think about that now. He shouldn’t think about that at all. He took the file Montanari gave him and read it with attention. Fabrizio Mobrici, 34 years old, not married, 2 children. Oh. Of course, he had children. How could he not? By being sterile. But the fact that he was in a relationship wasn’t surprising. The ‘not married” was though but why not? He tried to forget, or at least ignore, this information but it was stuck in his mind. He focused on his stats, they were very good, and he seemed to excel at close fighting. Good. Very good. He kept that in mind and continued his “meeting” with the two last guards.

 

 After that, he and Montanari when into the latter one’s office to discuss. Three guards caught his interest, De Luca, Mobrici and another woman Rizzo. The other man told him more about each as Ermal studied their files with more attention. Suddenly the Chief of the guards told him something very surprising.

 

“Mobrici volunteered to be your bodyguard. We made sure he had no ulterior motives of course. “

 

He volunteered? But why? Ermal looked at the first page of the file again. “2 children”. He was a father and yet he volunteered. Wasn't he aware that being his bodyguard meant that he wouldn’t see them as much as he did now? That he would be away from his partner? He was very confused and asked for more details to Montanari who shrugged.

 

“I don’t know your Highness; he wanted to protect you; you can read his motivation letter if you want.”

 

He shook his head. It was okay, he had already made his choice anyway. He told it to the Chief of guards who nodded and wrote it down. They went back to the guards’ room and the 7 guards jumped on their feet when they arrived. Ermal placed himself in front of them and cleared his throat.

 

"I made my decision. It was not an easy one, you all presented great profiles and I thank you for accepting to be my personal guard. However, I could only choose one... Mr. Mobrici, if you could step up please."

 

Mobrici looked up surprised but walked to him and saluted. Ermal could see that he was repressing a smile, his chest was stuck out in pride. He smiled faintly; he was happy to have him as his bodyguard. He hoped he wouldn’t regret it later.

 

"Congratulations, you are now my personal guard. Mr. Montanari will give you your new uniform and informations. I expect you at my apartments tomorrow at 6 am sharp."

 

Mobrici saluted again and bowed deeply. Ermal heard him mutter "Thank you". He bowed his head to him and left the room, a smile on his face. Tomorrow will be the beginning of something that promised to be very interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading, please leave me a comment it would be so nice


	4. The first days with a bodyguard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ermal and Mobrici spend their first days together with Mobrici as a royal bodyguard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good evening everyone! I'm reposting it because I fucked up and posted the wrong doc. But anyway here it!

The next day Ermal woke up early. Way too early for his taste. Why did he say 6 am? Ah yes, to look serious in front of the guards. Well, now he was full of regrets because he had to leave his bed at an indecent hour just to make sure he would look good to welcome his new bodyguard.

 

At 6 am sharp Fabrizio Mobrici, his personal guard, entered and oh. He looked great in his new uniform. It was a simple black one but the yellow of the House Meta could be seen here and there and the coat of arms of his family was sewed on Mobrici's heart. From what Ermal understood they had been made after ancient guards’ uniforms. Always stuck in the past. Mobrici saluted and waited for the prince to talk first.

 

"Hello, you're on time. That's good."

 

That was lame. Mobrici nodded, his eyes fixed on a point on the wall, and Ermal sighed. If he wasn't going to talk they would go nowhere. He waved at Mobrici so he would follow him through the rooms of his apartments.

 

"I'll show you my apartments. Here you have the antechamber. The parlor. The bathroom. This is my bedroom, and this is your bedroom. It's not very big or decorated sorry for that we were quite in a hurry to make it. Feel free to visit and take your marks, I'll be in the parlor reading."

 

"Yes, your Highness."

 

The guard saluted and left for the servants’ quarter. Ermal shook his head. He had been so excited but now he felt like it was going to be a very long experience. He hoped Mobrici would warm up soon because he couldn’t imagine living with someone nearly not saying a word and saluting him every two minutes. Ermal finished his book when Mobrici came in the parlor. He saluted, God again.

 

"You know if you salute me every time you see me it's going to be a problem. You know, since we are supposed to always be together."

 

Mobrici looked down, guilty. Shit.

 

"I'm sorry your Highness. I’ll be more careful."

 

Mobrici cleared his throat.

 

"I visited all the apartments and presented myself to all the staff. There will be a few things to improve in your bedroom and in the antechamber but otherwise, it's okay."

 

"Good, good. You’ll give the list of things to change to Mario."

 

The silence was awkward. Ermal wasn't sure what to say. They were saved by Elena, one of the maids, telling him that the breakfast was ready. Finally.

 

Every day at 8 am sharp breakfast was served in the second dining room and all the members of the Royal family had to be present. In fact, every meal had to be shared as a family. It had been a rule in their family for over a century and a half. The reason behind it was that a century and a half ago the Queen tried to poison her husband the King during lunch. Since then families had to be together to prevent any other poisoning. Ermal never fully understood the logic behind this rule.

 

This day’s breakfast had been different. They were all accompanied by their bodyguard, each standing behind the monarch they were supposed to protect. The usually joyful and relaxed atmosphere had been replaced by a weird one. None of them were used to have a guard so close to them in the castle. Ermal observed the other guards as each member of the family presented theirs. The scary guard, the Mountain, was now his father’s. It added more unease to the feeling of discomfort he felt anytime he was with his father. Of course, the King would choose a guard as scary as him.

 

They all ate in silence until it was broken by the deep voice of the King.

 

“Ermal you will come with me to the Council meeting at 10 am.”

 

Ermal repressed a groan. Of course, he saw it coming, every last Wednesday of the month the King and the prince would assist to the Council meeting. He always complained about his lack of political duties and the only one he had he hated it. He hated Council meetings, but he had no choice, his father wouldn’t tolerate a no. He nodded and finished eating, hiding his annoyance.

 

He went back to his apartments to his casual clothes for a suit. He was going out after all. Seeing that Mobrici was still following him he turned to him with a smirk.

 

“Are you going to be here when I change as well?”

 

That was what he didn’t like about having someone with him constantly. It meant that they would be with him even as he changed. But Mobrici shook his head, red spots appearing on his neck, and left the room after checking if it was safe. Ermal sighed again. He wished Mobrici would speak.

 

Once he was changed he joined the king in the hall and without exchanging a word they got into the car to go to the Council. He looked by the window at the streets of Rome passing. He longed to just walk in them freely. He rested his head on the glass but received a tap on his knee. He turned to his father with a frown.

 

“Sit straight. You’re exposing yourself to enemies.”

 

Ermal rolled his eyes but did as he was told. His father was exaggerating. He hated when he treated him like he was a child, he was 30 for God’s sake, especially in front of people. What were the guards going to think?

 

Eventually, they arrived at the Council. There was a reason why he hated to come here. The room was nearly only composed of old white men making decisions for a country they only knew the golden part of. And Ermal couldn’t speak. Only observe. He had been observing since he was 18, he wanted to participate as well. But his speech time was as short as the only woman in the room. He couldn’t wait to become king and make things change.

 

But for the moment he could just watch with exasperation the Council members trying to find a solution to the situation in poorer districts. It was always the same thing. Every three months or so they would discuss the matter of violence and way of life in poor districts around the capital, suggest stupid methods, settle on one that is doomed to fail and then act surprised when it didn’t work. Ermal didn’t like Council.

 

He turned around for a moment to watch the two bodyguards. The Mountain, he couldn’t remember his name, looked dead inside. And frankly, Ermal felt the same right now. Mobrici, on the other hand, looked upset, his eyes lost a bit of their usual warmth and his lips were turned in a snarl. He would have continued to observe and analyze his face expression, but he couldn’t possibly spend the remaining hours turned around, watching his bodyguard.

 

After 4 long hours, the meeting was finally over, very few solutions have been found, they missed lunch and Ermal was starving. Luckily his father decided that they would eat at the Imàgo. This place was actually one of the few of which he had good memories of his father. For his 5th birthday, King Giuseppe agreed to take him with him to the Parliament and then to the Imàgo. Ermal even had the right to order a soda! He remembered it being a wonderful day, his father explained him everything about the Parliament and he was the one who opened the session that day.

 

He wondered why that changed. He went back to the Parliament only a handful of times and whenever he went to the Imàgo soda was prohibited. He couldn’t remember his father smiling at him more than twice a year and the time when Ermal would want to spend every hour of the day with him was long gone now.

 

Lunch was delicious, it always was the Imàgo after all. He felt bad for Mobrici and... He truly couldn’t remember his name. The two men stood behind them, not eating. He promised himself that if his father wasn’t there Mobrici would be able to at least sit during meals, why not even eat as well?

 

When they finally come back to the castle it’s nearly teatime. He decided to go take it with Sabina, even though he was already full. He wanted to make sure that she was already. She had been very shocked by the attack and Ermal was worried about his little sister. But to his joy, she welcomed him with a smile. Once their tea is served she happily tells him how she feels much safer with Angelina.

 

“Chief Montanari assured me that she was the best!”

 

He raised an eyebrow at her.

 

“Oh really? _You_ would get the best one?”

 

“Why not? I’m the princess after all.”

 

“I’m the Heir and father is the King.”

 

She shrugged, saying that she didn’t see how that mattered. She smiled brightly at Angelina and went back to her tea, asking Ermal about the Council meeting. He rented to her about how boring it was and how his stomach had been this close to growl in the last hour. He then remembered that Mobrici was there and it wasn’t presenting him under his best day. Well, the guard better should get used to it.

 

That evening Mobrici checked the bathroom and the bedroom before letting Ermal alone so he could get ready for bed. Today had been quite busy for the prince and he hadn’t had the time to really grasp the fact that the guard would be there all the time. Once he was in pajamas he opened the door for Mobrici to come in. The guard saluted him, Ermal wanted to scream, before going into his bedroom. It wasn’t even a proper bedroom but an old and unused walk-in closet that had been converted into a bedroom. The royal architect had little time to prepare those bedrooms.

 

Before he realized it his mouth opened.

 

“Good night Mobrici.”

 

After a long silence, the muffled voice of Mobrici answered.

 

“Good night your Highness.”

 

It took two weeks but eventually, he got used to having Mobrici with him every day. They quickly fell into a routine. Mobrici would wake up first, he would make sure that the apartments were safe while Ermal would wake up and get ready. Ermal would take his breakfast and retire in his apartments until lunch, reading or watching a new series. During the afternoon he would basically do the same thing, only the location would change, and take tea whether it was alone or with other members of his family.

 

Ermal was struck to realize how boring his life was. His next sortie of the castle wouldn’t be until another week for the visit of a retiring house. Mobrici must regret volunteering to be his bodyguard, he probably expected something exciting.

 

Slowly but surely the guard was warming up to him. He wasn’t starting conversations but always answered to anything the prince told him, may it be by a nod. It was great because it meant that he was getting comfortable but mostly because Ermal could hear his voice every day.

 

But as time passed Ermal discovered that silence was fine as well. It stopped being awkward and quickly became natural. If in the first days Ermal would fidget while reading, unable to focus on his book because Mobrici was there and he didn’t like the silence now he was able to read for hours. Mobrici’s silent presence made it even better.

 

Feeling like he was observed Ermal looked up from his book just in time to see Mobrici suddenly look away, staring at the wall. He chuckled and rested his chin on his hand with a smile.

 

“You do realize that you aren’t going to protect anyone by looking at the wall right?”

 

His bodyguard looked down in embarrassment. It was a very endearing sight and Ermal couldn’t stop smiling. Eventually, Mobrici pointed at his book.

 

“What is this book?”

 

He looked down surprised. His book? What was so special about it?

 

“It’s War and Peace by Tolstoy. Why?”

 

“That’s not Italian.”

 

Ermal looked down again and finally understood what Mobrici was talking about. It was a Russian edition, therefore written in Cyrillic. He didn’t even notice; he hadn’t realized that it was in a different language, too taken into the receipt.

 

“Oh yes, it’s in Russian, an original edition from 1869. I’ve already read it in Italian a few years ago and I wanted to compare the two versions, I have to say I prefer this one, it’s really the author’s words.”

 

Mobrici’s eyes widen, much to Ermal’s pleasure. He liked to show off a little, and if he could impress his attractive bodyguard it was even better.

 

“You speak Russian?”

 

“It’s not that impressive, it’s required that the members of the Royal family speak 6 languages.”

 

“You speak 6 languages?”

 

“No, I speak 9, I like learning languages. I speak Italian and Albanian of course, English, French, Spanish, German, Russian, Arabic, and Mandarin.”

 

Mobrici’s eyes widen even more, in a comic effect, and he mouthed a “wow”. Ermal smiled smugly. He had always loved languages and never had much to do anyway so he learned as many languages as he could. But he had no merit, he received the best education possible from the best native professors. Besides his grandmother was Albanian and had demanded that her son and grandchildren spoke her native language. To ensure that they did, she spoke to them only in Albanian and would ignore them if they spoke to her in Italian.

 

It must be very long and boring for their guards when they took tea with their grandmother. The guards wouldn’t understand what would be said because of the Albanian. Only their grandmother’s guard could speak Albanian, which is why she chose her. She was happy to have conversations in her native language with people other than her family.

 

It was during one of those tea times with his grandmother that Mario, his butler, came to get him. The King wanted to talk to him. Now. Interrupting his conversation about the latest drama beauty community, he was glad Mobrici couldn’t understand him gossip like this, he went to the throne room. Again with this room.

 

He entered the room and bowed, Mobrici saluting behind him. He finally got him to stop saluting all the time. The King was there, looking through some papers and looked up.

 

“Ermal.”

 

“Father. You wanted to see me?”

 

“Yes. It’s about my trip to the Netherlands. As you know I want to assure our friendship with them but as you have noticed my throat is hurting me very badly. The doctor said that I might be sick. I can’t go so you will.”

 

It was a lot to take in. His father was sick? It felt like a bad excuse; he once saw his father do the New Year speech outside while he had the flu. But he didn’t care about the reason. He was going to the Netherlands! He couldn’t believe it.

 

“Really?”

 

“Yes. We will see the details later but in a month you will go. I count on you Ermal, you have to make Italy proud.”

 

He nodded excitedly, failing to hide his smile. He was going on his first diplomatic trip and he couldn’t wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading, please leave me a comment it would be so nice


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ermal is getting ready for his trip to the Netherlands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello guys. It's me, again, I really have too much free time at work.

The reason why Ermal was so excited about this diplomatic trip was that, as stated previously, he had little to no political duties in the kingdom. He didn’t understand what made his father give him this responsibility out of sudden, but it didn’t matter. What mattered was that he was going to the Netherlands and he would make no mistake. Like this, hopefully, the king would give him more freedom.

 

But for the moment he had other things to do. The visit of a retiring house to begin with. He loved those moments when he could be close to his people and actually speak to them. Besides some of the old ladies gave him chocolate which was always nice. He also had to welcome the new guards, just like he did for Mobrici 6 months ago. He didn’t see time fly. This time he tried to pay a little bit more attention to the guards and what was happening but without much success. None of them caught his attention as Mobrici did. It was a good thing, he already had to deal with one ridiculously attractive guard he didn’t have time for another one.

 

Speaking of Mobrici he was opening more and more to him, much to Ermal’s happiness. He also smiled more, and it was a good look on him. Of course, he was still full of mystery because Ermal didn’t know much of him. He didn’t read too much of the personal information in his file, it didn’t matter in the choice of a bodyguard and he didn’t want to intrude like this.

 

One of the mysteries Ermal was the most curious about was that every evening while Ermal would change into his pajamas Mobrici would stay in his joke of a bedroom for 15 minutes and then come out, not even changed. He didn’t know what he did inside, and he didn’t like not knowing something. That was why he loved books so much, to know things.

 

One day he couldn’t resist anymore, he had to know. He was watching a video comparing the Dothrakis to the Mongols with a relative concentration, but he was more focused on the mystery of Mobrici. He paused the video and set his laptop away. He looked at Mobrici who was standing straight in a corner.

 

“Mobrici?”

 

“Yes, your Highness?”

 

“What do you do when I change before going to bed? You stay in your bedroom but what are you doing inside?”

 

Mobrici looked down and smiled shyly before looking up as if he was deciding whether he should tell him or not.

 

“I call my children your Highness, so they can tell me about their day.”

 

Ermal didn’t except the soft tone of Mobrici’s voice, the tenderness in his smile and eyes. He obviously loved them a lot. Deep down he wished that Mobrici could look at him like that.

 

“Your children?”

 

“Yes, I have 2. Libero, who is 10, and Anita, who is 5.”

 

“Do you miss them?”

 

That was a stupid question, of course, he did. He probably missed his partner as well he remembered with a small pain in his heart.

 

“Oh yes, a lot. But my job is very important, and they know that.”

 

“You should go see them. Sunday afternoon. The morning we will go to Mass but in the afternoon I’m free and therefore so are you. Why don’t you go to spend your afternoon with your family?”

 

He didn’t really think when he said that. But he wanted Mobrici to go see his loved ones. He missed them and haven’t seen them for a month and a half. Ermal couldn’t imagine how hard it would be to not see his family for that long. The guard shook his head.

 

“No. I can’t. I have to protect you.”

 

Ermal couldn’t be fooled, there was a spark of sadness in his eyes. He wanted to see them, but his duty was more important.

 

“You know very well by now that the Sunday afternoon I either stay in the parlor reading or watching series, or I go see my mother with my siblings. I will be fine. I will stay with my family, like this I will still have guards around me.”

 

Mobrici opened and closed his mouth, trying to find a way to refuse. But he didn’t find anything, so he smiled and muttered a thank you. His voice was so soft and emotional, Ermal didn’t know how to react.

 

“You will have to tell Chief Montanari that you will have your afternoon off, say that it’s me who decided so. Just make sure to be back by 9 pm.”

 

“I will. Thank you, your Highness, thank you so much.”

 

Ermal simply smiled, hoping that he wasn’t blushing, and went back to his video. He couldn’t resist looking at Mobrici who was now smiling brightly. This time there was no point in trying to hide his red cheeks.

 

That Sunday they went to mass at the Vatican as always. They had a spot reserved for them where they could see the Pope better than anyone else. It was the only time the guards could seat at the same time as them, because they were attending to the mass as well, except for Amir, Rinald’s bodyguard who was Muslim. Ermal liked mass, even more now for he could hear Mobrici sing behind him. He had a beautiful voice and he wished he could listen to it outside mass.

 

As promised once lunch was over Mobrici left. He bowed deeply to Ermal when he left him at the door of his mother’s apartments. His siblings and mother have been surprised to see him enter without his guard. He explained that Mobrici had his afternoon off and that it was useless to lecture him, it was too late now, and the king already did. Sabina seemed deep in thoughts.

 

“That’s a good idea Ermal, maybe we should give our guards a day off from time to time. I’ll talk to father about it.”

 

Rinald nodded, agreeing with their sister.

 

“Yes, you should do it. Father will accept if it comes from you or grandmother.”

 

It was true. King Giuseppe only listened to a handful of people. The president of the Council, sometimes, his mother, his wife when he wanted to and his daughter. The rest of the population he wouldn’t obey. The king was very stubborn, and sadly Ermal was the same. Sabina said that she would go tomorrow morning ask their father and their mother advised that she brought cookies with her. Like this, he wouldn’t be able to refuse anything.

 

They spent the afternoon together, most of the time not talking but simply getting busy together. Rinald was drawing, Sabina and Ermal were watching the Crown together and their mother was sewing. Suddenly the queen spoke.

 

“Ermal are you ready for your trip? Did you decide which outfits you would wear? Is your planning ready? Are your speeches written? You are leaving in three weeks, you should hurry.”

 

Sabina sighed and paused their episode while Ermal rolled his eyes. Royalty or not a mother stayed a mother.

 

“I am getting ready mom. I already wrote the speech I would give in front of the International Court, I have to write two others. The planning is nearly ready and yes I have chosen my outfits. I’m getting a new suit tailored for the reception, the tailor will come in two days. As you said I have three weeks, it will be fine.”

 

His mother shook her head frowning, not convinced at all.

 

“Yes, that’s what you say but I know you Ermal. Tomorrow you will show me what you planned to wear.”

 

“Mom, I’m 30 and Mario helped me already.”

 

But she wasn’t listening anymore and instead began a rant about how she knew how it was in this family, everyone said that it was good, and they were ready but it wasn’t true. Rinald snorted and kept drawing, Sabina put headphones on and carried on with the episode and Ermal suffered in silence while his mother was lecturing him on reading but doing nothing else. Maybe one day she would accept the fact that he was an adult, but she probably would keep seeing him as her baby who needed assistance until her death. Rinald once joked that she would come back as a ghost to mother them for all eternity.

 

At 9 pm a butler announced that Mobrici was back and the door opened to an embarrassed guard with red spots all over the neck. The poor man wasn’t used to get announced while entering a room. Ermal got up and said his goodbyes to his family before leaving, followed by his bodyguard. Thank God he was on time, Ermal was getting tired. He turned to Mobrici who was smiling, at least he had a good time.

 

Once they arrived in the parlor of Ermal’s apartments Ermal turned to his guard with a smile.

 

“So, how did it go?”

 

Mobrici’s smile was so bright Ermal regretted to not have put some sunscreen on.

 

“It was great! My son had a game this afternoon and he won. He played very well, he even scored! Anita was very happy to see me as well and I think I received enough hugs to last another month. I saw my parents and siblings as well, and I ate with them. My mom’s cooking is far better than what we are served if I may say.”

 

He noted that there has been no mention of a partner. Interesting. He smiled at Mobrici’s happy tone. His joy was communicative.

 

“Excellent! I’m happy for you, maybe the bodyguards will have a day off sometimes. You will be able to see them more often if everything goes well.”

 

He didn’t think it was possible but Mobrici’s smile grew even more. He was glad he made him take an afternoon off. He asked if he took any pictures. He would love to see what his children look like, he imagined that they looked like him. The guard nodded and took out his phone to show his pictures to the prince.

 

“This is Libero, Libero in his jersey, and that’s him playing, oh and this is him and me. Here you have Anita, Anita and me, Anita showing me her new bracelet and her sitting on my father’s lap.”

 

He had been right, they looked like him. Especially Anita who was his duplicate. They were adorable and Mobrici beamed when he told him so. Ermal never saw someone smiling so much for so long, his cheeks must hurt him.

 

Mobrici thanked him again and checked his bedroom as usual before leaving Ermal alone to change. He couldn’t stop thinking about this bright smile. How could one be so cute? It made his stomach all fuzzy and he couldn’t stop smiling either. Once he was changed Mobrici came back and went into his bedroom.

 

“Good night Mobrici.”

 

“Good night your Highness.”

 

* * *

 

 

Ermal groaned and put his face in his hands. This behavior wasn’t worthy of a Prince, but he didn’t care. He has been struggling to learn the few Dutch words he planned to begin his speech with. He thought that being fluent in English and German would help, and it did, but not as much as he hoped and now he was left trying to get the sounds right.

 

The preparations for his trip to the Netherlands were going great and were nearly finished. His choice of clothes had been approved by his mother, the speeches were written, and the planning was done. The only thing that was missing was Ermal’s ability to speak Dutch. Whenever his father and grandfather gave speeches in a foreign country they would begin by saying a few words in the language of the country and Ermal thought it an excellent idea. But he was pretty sure he didn’t get it right, no matter how many videos in Dutch he watched and no matter what Rinald said. Rinald was fluent in Dutch and therefore Ermal asked him for help. His brother said that his pronunciation was good enough but Ermal wanted it to be perfect.

 

Mobrici looked at him, worried. It wasn’t like him to act this way. He moved closer to him.

 

“Are you okay your Highness?”

 

“No. My pronunciation isn’t perfect.”

 

“If I may your Highness, how do you know that? You don’t speak Dutch; how could you know that your pronunciation isn’t correct?”

 

Ermal would have liked to answer something witty but he had to admit that he had a point. He pushed his laptop and sheets of paper away with a sigh and rubbed his eyes. He was tired and stressed.

 

“Why are you so nervous your Highness? It’s not the first time you go on a diplomatic trip.”

 

He sent a dark glance to Mobrici who stood straight and moved away. He overstepped the line. But Ermal didn’t care about that. He felt guilty. He shouldn’t have act like that, the guard only wanted to help.

 

“I’m sorry. It’s my first trip alone and I want to do it right. Besides, it will be exciting to discover a new country, so it makes a strange mix.”

 

“You never went to the Netherlands before?”

 

“I did but I was 4 back then, I don’t remember it. I just remember that I had to learn how to say _hello_ _your Highness_ in Dutch and that people spoke weirdly. Aren’t you nervous?”

 

Mobrici nodded. To Ermal’s surprise, he didn’t try to hide the fact that he was stressed.

 

“Terribly nervous your Highness. I have to protect you in an unknown place. I’m afraid I won’t be good enough.”

 

“You are good enough Mobrici, and you will be well prepared with all the meetings you had to organize my protection. I trust you.”

 

Mobrici’s neck and cheeks turned red and he looked away, obviously embarrassed. Ermal was too, his cheeks were red as well.

 

“Thank you, your Highness, it means a lot to me.”

 

 Ermal cleared his throat and mumbled something even he didn’t understand and went back to studying. But he did a little studying, he was looking more at Mobrici than at his papers.

 

Had he been less oblivious he would have seen that Mobrici looked at him as much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Please leave me a comment it would be very nice


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ermal makes his first diplomatic trip to the Netherlands and of course, Mobrici stays by his side the whole time, even during an incognito visit to Amsterdam...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been such a long time! It took me incredibly long to write this chapter, around 4 months. That's why it's super long: I didn't know where to stop and didn't really want to. And thank you to the wonderful Manouk for her help!

Ermal was feeling nervous when he arrived at the airport. It would be the first time he would travel alone to a different country. Well not alone because he would have Mobrici, another guard, and one of the Council members with him, as well as all the journalists and a bunch of other people coming. Speaking of which they were all here to film and take pictures of his departure. Not having to bother to get his ID checked, nor his luggage, the wait at the airport was very short. The perks of having your own plane. In front of said plane, he made a little speech to the TV channels, telling how delighted he was to go to the Netherlands to strengthen the friendship between the two countries.

 

 A journalist of those damned tabloids asked him if he was going there to find a princess to marry and finally give Italy a royal wedding. He ignored her, annoyed by the question. His smile was slightly less genuine because of this. He hated tabloids for this very reason. After a few more questions and pictures, he entered the plane and flight to The Hague. He was excited like a child, looking by the window Rome getting smaller and smaller.  He loved flying ever since he was little, it had something magical. The Council member, Ricci, however, seemed to be less at ease. Ermal had not been pleased to know that Ricci out of all the people would come with him. He despised the man and even more his opinions. To make it worse he was one of the King’s most trusted Council member.

 

He took advantage of the short flight to read his speech one last time and rehearse the Dutch words he learnt for the occasion. Poor Mobrici must have known them by heart too, as Ermal kept repeating them for the past two days.

 

Eventually, they arrived in Rotterdam for their four days trip. A crowd of journalists from all over Europe was there and a pinch of anxiety came back. He checked his appearance in the mirror, he could hear his mother’s voice telling him to fix his hair and collar, it relaxed him a bit. He wished she was there, but he was 30 now, he couldn’t have his mother coming with him everywhere. He got out first, welcomed by the King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands. He managed to steady his voice before speaking.

 

“Hallo, uwe hoogheid.” (1)

 

The King smiled at him and seemed happy with his pronunciation, which helped Ermal relax a little. They exchanged a few words before shaking hands and smiling for the cameras. Once they began to leave the airport he slightly turned his head to look at Mobrici who smiled at him. In the car that took him to the Council of State, he looked at the town by his window. It was amazing, so different from Italy. He couldn’t wait to see more of it. Of course, he was there for business, but he hoped that he would still be able to see a bit of the town before leaving for Amsterdam.

 

The rest of the day was filled with diplomatic discussions. It wasn’t very difficult because Italy and the Netherlands had good relationships and the two Royal families were cousins on some level. But even if it was not very big and important discussions it was still important and good training for Ermal. But by the end of the day, his brain was beginning to mix English and Italian a bit, getting tired from jumping from one language to the other depending on whether he was talking with the Dutch government or the Italian delegation. Thankfully he managed to not make any mistake until he was in the car taking him to the Italian embassy where he would sleep. He let out a long sigh once they were on the road, feeling a bit sleepy out of sudden. He felt eyes on him and turned to see Mobrici smiling at him again. It was one of those soft smiles you had for the people you love. His tired brain was probably making him imagine things, but he answered him with a sleepy smile.

 

“Your Highness are you okay? You still have the dinner at the Royal Palace tonight, and I don’t think it would be a good idea to cancel it.”

 

“I am fine, I just need a little rest.”

 

He managed to take a quick nap between meeting the ambassador and getting ready for the dinner. Thank God, otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to make it through. If he was able to do that it was thanks to Mobrici who stood in front of the door and not letting anyone in. Ermal heard him turning everyone down by saying that the Prince was busy. It made a warm feeling growing in his chest.

 

Well-rested he changed into his new suit and added his royal garments. He had to admit that he looked good, very good even. But it was nothing compared to Mobrici in his formal uniform who looked breath-taking, even more with his hair pushed back. He was a bit offended to see that he had made an effort on his hairstyle for a formal dinner with a foreigner King but not when getting presented to the Heir of his own country.  The moment when Mobrici introduced himself to him seemed like ages ago, he couldn’t remember how life was without him by his side.

 

He was a bit nervous; it was the first time he would go to an official dinner in a foreign country on his own. He spent the whole ride to the palace studying the Dutch etiquette for the umpteenth time and reading his speech again and again. When they arrived, he heard his guard let out a small “wow” at the sight of the palace. And wow indeed.  He couldn’t say which one was more stunning: the castle or the sight of Mobrici in awe.

 

Once he was joined by the rest of the Italian delegation he entered the palace, welcomed by the King and Queen. The Queen remembered that Ermal came to the Netherlands, years ago, and complimented him on his pronunciation. He would have to buy a gift to thanks Rinald for his help. Probably cheese.

 

Before the dinner, Ermal and the Dutch Prime Minister gave a press conference. Ermal’s nervousness came back, even though he knew his speech by heart at this point. The Dutch Prime Minister spoke first, giving him time to take a look at the crowd and most importantly to search for support with Mobrici who smiled at him and gave him subtle thumbs up. It made Ermal smile brightly before speaking.

 

“Goedenavond. Het is mij een genoegen om vandaag in Rotterdam te zijn met jullie. Nu zal ik naar het Italiaans overschakelen zodat jullie niet meer van mijn verschrikkelijke uitspraak hoeven te lijden.” (2)

 

A few laughs were heard and Ermal relaxed. He hoped he didn’t mess up the pronunciation too much. The Queen may have complimented him moments ago it had been for just one sentence. He continued his speech, not looking at his notes once. Although he did nervously play with the corners of the papers. After a few questions and more handshakes with the Prime Minister they finally moved to the reception hall to eat. Thank God, Ermal was getting hungry. He had a thought for his guard who had to stand behind him while he was eating those delicious meals.

 

Conversation with the Royal family was pleasant and easy, which he was thankful for, otherwise, he would have had to speak with Ricci next to him. He did his best to not talk to him more than he needed, he really disliked this small man with disgusting opinions. He still remembered this Council meeting a few years ago when they talked about the possibility to open marriage to same-sex couples. Ricci had been one of the most fervent detractors, telling awful things against the LGBTQ+ community. Ever since then Ermal’s disgust for him only grew. He couldn’t wait to be King and to put Ricci out of the Council. People elected the Council, but the King could put his veto on one member. It was a weird rule, but Ermal didn’t mind it.

 

That night before going to bed he saw that he had received two new texts. One from his mother and one from his father. He opened his mother’s text first.

 

**Hello Ermal, we saw you on TV, you were very good. I’m proud of you.**

He smiled and thanked them before opening his father’s text.

**Ermal,**

**Your press conference was decent. You did not embarrass us.**

**King Giuseppe the Third.**

 

He rolled his eyes so hard it hurt his head. The way their father’s text was a running joke between him and his siblings, he was always so formal, even with his own children. He answered a quick **thank you father** before turning his phone off. He looked at Mobrici who was texting as well, but he had a smile on his face. Because they were not at home the guard did not have his bedroom, so a small bed had been put in Ermal’s bedroom instead. It felt weird. Especially when he wished a good night to Mobrici and a non-muffled voice answered him.

The next day, after a morning of negotiating new contracts, the Italian delegation took their meal at the embassy with a lovely ambassador. A woman full of culture and very pretty. She was a pleasure to speak with and a part of Ermal’s brain told him that she would make a perfect wife and Queen. But the other part was stuck on Mobrici, standing behind him as always. His messy hair was back much to Ermal’s delight. His pushed back and combed hair looked really good but messy hair was more…. Him.

 

 Then one of the moments Ermal had been waiting for arrived: they visited the town. Just like he thought the day before Rotterdam was very different from Italian towns and he loved it. The King gave them a tour and his pride for his country was more than obvious. The Prince couldn’t help but snicker when they entered the “gay triangle” where most of the gay bars and clubs were located. He stared at a very uncomfortable Ricci while the King was telling them about his pride that his country was so open to the LGBTQ+ community and telling them about key dates. Ermal wished it was the same in Italy but judging by a lot of faces in the delegation it wasn’t going to happen soon.

 

Two days later it was already their last day in Holland. Yesterday they arrived in Amsterdam for more negotiating and today was special. Today Ermal was going to visit the town but alone. Well, alone with Mobrici. It had been arranged by the Italian government, it was a habit of his grandfather to take a day to visit the town as a regular tourist.

 

He changed his clothes for his casual ones. He was excited like a child at the idea of visiting Amsterdam incognito, like everyone. He had always wished to be able to walk in the streets like any normal person. To not be a prince in short. We always wish for what we can’t have. But today he would spend the day as a normal man. No suits, no cameras and no security team around him. Of course, Mobrici would still be there, he always was. The mere thought of visiting a foreign town with him dressed in casual clothes made his heart flutter.

 

He went back to the parlour of the suite of the hotel they were staying with a smile. He stopped for a moment to stare at Mobrici. He was in casual clothes. He knew that he would be but there was a difference between knowing and seeing. He looked great with his ACDC shirt, his jeans and his shirt tied around the waist. Maybe not a choice Ermal would have made but it was very different from what he was used to seeing. He was drawling over the fact that his arms were covered by tattoos when Mobrici closed his eyes and sighed. Oh no, did he notice him? It was a possibility; he hadn’t been very subtle.

 

“Your Highness, you were supposed to be dressed in a casual way.”

 

Ermal looked down at his outfit and then looked up. He looked like a child who had been asked a difficult question by his teacher. His clothes were casual, weren’t they?

 

“What do you mean? It is casual.”

 

“Yeah, yeah it’s casual. But not fit for a day incognito, besides we will be walking a lot and your feet will hurt with those shoes.”

 

He looked down again. His clothes were the same as the ones he wore at the castle every day. Mobrici continued.

 

“In my mind, you were going to wear normal clothes, that normal and random people wear. Most people don’t wear Armani or whatever this is. And your hair is the same as usual, you aren’t even wearing sunglasses.”

 

Ermal, the future king of Italy, looked like a guilty child getting scolded by his father.

 

“But I have no other clothes.”

 

Mobrici thought for a moment and opened his mouth. Before closing it immediately. He was obviously hesitant to share his idea.

 

“It’s just an idea but... I have spare clothes. You could wear them; I think they would fit. They’re clean of course! I haven’t worn them.”

 

He thought about it for a minute. Yes, it sounded like a good idea. He wasn’t sure if he was going to like the clothes, but it would be more discreet than his outfit. He was a bit disappointed though, he had hoped to impress Mobrici with his outfit. He agreed to wear his clothes and his guard showed him what he brought with him. It was mostly black clothes, ripped jeans, boots and band t-shirts. Not at all what Ermal was used to. He hesitated a long time before choosing a denim shirt, the only pair of non-ripped jeans he found and the pair of boots that thankfully were his size. It was only when he was left alone to change that he realized that he was going to wear Mobrici’s clothes. Things he wore when he wasn’t at the castle. It fitted a bit weirdly as they weren’t built the same, but overall it wasn’t so bad.

 

He showed the result to Mobrici who nodded, deep in thoughts before telling him to tie his hair, wear sunglasses and even a hat. When Ermal looked at himself in the mirror he nearly didn’t recognize himself. It was so different from what he was used. He was wearing jeans! He has never worn jeans before. He felt like a character in one of those badly written romances with an alien or an ingénue discovering the world thanks to a strong male love interest. But it wasn’t his fault if the royalty rules were so strict that he couldn’t even wear jeans.

 

They left the hotel discreetly and walked in the streets. He noticed that his guard was tensed, and his hands were in his back, close to where his gun was. He ignored it. He was outside and nobody was looking at him. He was so used to be the centre of attention whenever he left the castle, it was very new for him. God, he was really cut from the world. It was a real problem, the royal family was stuck in a cage of outdated rules, put away from the normal people. He promised himself a long time ago that he would never impose this to his children.

 

Another new thing for him was that Mobrici was walking next to him. According to the etiquette only the King, Queen, King Father and Queen Mother could do that, even his siblings weren’t allowed to walk side by side with him. This change of way to do made him realize that he was taller than Mobrici. Not a lot but the difference was still noticeable. For whatever reason, it made him happy. He stopped looking at him to observe the town. It was really beautiful. He couldn’t wait to see more of it.  

 

They followed the crowd; they didn’t have a plan of what they wanted to do. Mobrici wanted to make one but Ermal had argued that everything else in this trip had been planned down to the minute. He wanted this day to be different. He took a look at his guard who was looking around, observing the souvenir shops. Ermal turned to him with a smile.

 

“Looking for some souvenirs?”

 

“Yes, for Libero and Anita. If that’s okay with you of course.”

 

“Why wouldn’t it be okay? Of course, you can. Do you have something in mind? Maybe I could help you out.”

 

“Yes, I want a football jersey for Libero and... Oh, look they are selling jerseys here! Let’s go.”

 

With a laugh, he followed Mobrici in a shop selling the orange jerseys of the national team. He remembered that Mobrici’s son played in a team and from what he told him the little boy loved football. Like all the boys in Italy, even he loved it. Although he wasn’t allowed to play in the castle and even less in a team. To his surprise, Mobrici wasn’t searching in the men team’s pile of jerseys but in the women’s. Maybe he didn’t notice.

 

“This is the women team; the men are over there.”

 

Mobrici didn’t look up and kept searching in the piles, very focused.

 

“Yes, I know. I’m looking for a Miedema jersey. She is Libero’s current favourite player. He saw her play during the world cup and thought she was so cool. I would like to get him a jersey, I hope there is his size.”

 

It surprised Ermal even more. He never heard of a young boy being a fan of a woman player, even less if she was from another country. But it was a good thing. He searched as well in the piles. He didn’t know a lot about the women teams but apparently this Miedema was popular, they struggled to find a jersey in Libero’s size. But eventually, they managed to get one, probably the last one. Mobrici’s smile worth the mess they made by looking for it. They quickly folded the jerseys, Ermal with less ease than Mobrici. He nearly never folded his clothes at the castle, maids did it for him. While Mobrici went to pay he looked around at the souvenirs. Should he get some for his family? It would be funny. He was thinking of buying a thimble for his mother when he saw Mobrici coming closer to him shyly. He had no bag in his hands.

 

“Your Highness? Hum... The clerk doesn’t speak Italian and I don’t speak English, could you... Could you translate for me please?”

 

He looked at him with wide eyes. That was unexpected. But he nodded and grabbed the thimble and a coffee mug for his grandfather and went to the counter. He translated for Mobrici who seemed lost when they spoke. He quickly paid and Ermal bought his souvenirs as well. They thanked the clerk before leaving the shop, Mobrici was still embarrassed.  Ermal raised an eyebrow while looking at him.

 

“I thought that speaking English was required to become a guard.”

 

The guard shook his head.

 

“No, otherwise I would never have been accepted.”

 

The subject seemed to embarrass him, so he left it and they walked in silence. He noticed that a few shops had posters of the women national team. They went to the final after all, but he didn’t expect more than two shops having posters of them. On one of them was Miedema, Libero’s favourite player. The poster said that she was the best scorer in the team. He looked at Mobrici who was observing the architecture in awe.

 

“So, your son like Miedema?”

 

“Oh yes, a lot. Giada, his mother, is the one who made him watch the women world cup and he loved her since then. He had been very disappointed when he learned that he couldn’t marry her.”

 

“Ah yes, because she’s older than him.”

 

“No, because she’s lesbian. Oh, wow this building is beautiful! I have to take a picture!”

 

Ermal was shocked, to say the least. Italy wasn’t very open when it came to homosexuality, so he didn’t expect Mobrici to say that a woman was a lesbian that casually. As if it was nothing big. And he was right, it wasn’t important or anything. Just very surprising. And good to know. Of course, that didn’t mean that he was attracted to men but still. When he thought of the faces of his fellow Italians in the gay part of Rotterdam the other day… He heard Mobrici calling him, it was only then that he noticed that he hadn’t moved an inch for the past two minutes. He hurried to reach his guard and shook his head at him.

 

“If you keep calling me your Highness we won’t be incognito very long.”

 

“I can’t call you anything else your Highness, besides I doubt a lot of people will understand Italian here, no?”

 

He had a point. But still, Ermal wished he would have called him by his name for once. It wasn’t a good idea; his heart probably wouldn’t survive to his bodyguard calling him by his first name.

 

They continued to walk in the streets, admiring the architecture. They visited the Anne Franck, that thankfully had Italian guides so Mobrici could understand what he was seeing. It had been fascinating and very emotional, both of them took a few pictures. After two hours of walking, they decided to stop for a snack and to rest. They saw a stroopwafel shop, Ermal had been dying to try them out even before he got to the Netherlands. As in every place they went to so far Ermal talked while Mobrici was awkwardly waiting behind him.

 

« Hello, we would like two stroopwafels, please. »

 

«You want stroopwafels with what? »

 

Ermal had to say, he never heard someone saying food names in such an aggressive way. For a second he wondered if she was really asking them what they wanted to eat or if she was insulting their mothers. He wasn’t the only one apparently, as he saw Mobrici put his hand around his gun. He shook his head to tell him to stop. There was no need for it. Hopefully.

 

« She’s just talking about food. I hope. »

 

« Jeez, why is she so angry? Maybe she’s starving and upset because she has to serve food but not eat it.”

 

He chuckled and asked Mobrici what he wanted on his stroopwafel. The guard went for chocolate and Chantilly cream and Ermal for caramel, they also took two coffees. Luckily it was ready fast so they could sit down to eat. Thank God, he was getting tired of standing and walking. He teased Mobrici about the amount of sugar he was going to eat, apparently, he had a sweet tooth. They took a tentative bite of their stroopwafels and were both very pleasantly surprised. It was delicious. Mobrici took another bite, bigger this time with a sigh of content.

 

“It’s so good! How can the lady be so aggressive against something so good?”

 

“I have no idea. Maybe she should take a bite of it, it would make her feel better.”

 

They ate in silence, only breaking it to decide what to do next and what kind of souvenirs to buy. Mobrici wanted to buy a bracelet or necklace for Anita and postcards for his family. He wouldn’t post them but give them in person. Ermal’s goal was to buy ridiculous souvenirs for his family and the biggest Gouda cheese he could find for his brother. A nice elder couple advised them to take bikes for the rest of the day, as it would be less tiring than walking everywhere, so that’s what they did. Ut bikes had two major flaws: Mobrici couldn’t protect his Prince as easily and they had to stop every meter to take pictures. But overall the elder couple had been right it was nice to feel the wind on his face as they rode next to the canal.

 

Suddenly Ermal stopped abruptly. Mobrici jumped off his bike with a hand on his gun, looking for whatever danger Ermal saw. But Ermal saw nothing dangerous. Well the punch he would receive with his sister would be dangerous but it would be worth it. He showed Mobrici the shop he wanted to go to. The Condomerie. A shop dedicated to condoms; lubricants and other things related. It was the eldest condom specialist shop according to a small sign. With a Machiavellian laugh, Ermal found a condom with the worst pun ever and brought it under Mobrici’s incredulous eyes.

 

“Are you really going to give that to Princess Sabina?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Will she like it?”

 

“Oh no. She’s going to hate me.”

 

Mobrici thought for a moment before going back to the shop and buying the same condom as Ermal, for his own sister. They both went back on their bikes laughing like devils. They stopped once again, a few minutes later for Ermal to buy some tulip bulbs for his grandmother. He was clearly playing favourites there.

 

Tired again, and hungry, they went to a restaurant where they both got confused by the name of the dishes but didn’t want to call the waiter too much, in case he recognized Ermal. So they had to guess with what was written. Ermal got curious about what “Haring” was. According to Google it was raw fish and it was a very Dutch dish. Mobrici settled for something less dangerous: stamppot and rookworst. They joked about Mobrici not being able to get back on his bike after eating it and they were proved to be right when they saw the dish. It was definitely not something you would see on some Instagram influencer’s profile.

 

“Their loss, it’s delicious!”

 

Their waiter told Ermal the traditional way to eat his haring, so by lifting it by its tail in the air and taking a bite. He did so under Mobrici’s laugh. It was very nice to be like this. It was like their titles disappeared and they were just two friends enjoying their trip to the Netherlands. He wished it could stay this way forever.

 

They went back to visit the town with Mobrici complaining that he had gained 4 kilos in one meal and couldn’t move. They went to visit Van Gogh’s museum where Ermal showed off his knowledge to an impressed Mobrici. It was really special to be able to see the paintings in their home country. They rode their bikes far slower after that, really making the most of the beautiful weather. They even stopped by the canal and something weird happened. A young lady offered to take a picture of them. After a few seconds of hesitation Mobrici accepted and gave her his phone. Their shoulders were nearly touching as they posed and Ermal hoped his cheeks weren’t red. He wasn’t used to that at all. When he thanked the young woman she smiled.

 

“Oh it’s nothing, it’s a pleasure to see such a beautiful couple.”

 

Ermal froze, unsure what to say so he muttered a weak thank you before going back to Mobrici who was confused, he heard nothing of the conversation. The Prince said it was nothing but he was lying. This woman thought they were together. It made a warm feeling spread in his chest. He thought about it for the rest of the day.

 

When they came back to the hotel their arms were full of souvenirs as not everything could fit in Mobrici’s backpack. And certainly not the 15kg Gouda cheese or the big stuffed Nijntje, a famous cartoon rabbit that neither of them was sure of how to say the name but Mobrici was sure that his daughter would love it.  They fell on their bed, exhausted but happy after their day. They quickly put their souvenirs in the already packed suitcase thanks to the hotel crew and went to bed. Holland had been amazing but Ermal was eager to go back home.

 

“Goodnight Mobrici.”

 

“Goodnight Your Highness.”

 

“Thank you for coming with me today, I had a great time.”

 

The answer arrived a moment later with an incredibly tender voice.

 

“I had a wonderful time with you, Your Highness.”

 

Ermal wasn’t sure is his half-asleep brain dreamed it but something in him was sure it really happened, and he went to sleep with a huge smile oh his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) Hello, Your Highness  
> (2) Good evening everyone. It's my pleasure to be in Rotterdam in front of you tonight. Now I will switch to Italian so that you no longer have to suffer from my terrible pronunciation.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading and please let me know what you thought of it!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading, please tell me your first impressions!


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